Fire-escape.



No. s29,1s4.` M JPATENT'ED AUG. 21, 1906.

A. WL BARTLBTT.

FIRE ESCAPE; .LPPLIOATION FILED APBHI, 1906.

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IINITEI) STATES PATENT OEEICE.

ARTHUR W. BARTLETT, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

T0 all whom, it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, ARTHUR W. BARTLETT, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented a new and Improved Fire-Escape, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to fire-escapes in which the speed of the person descending is controlled by a centrifugal governor; and the object of my improvement is to provide a mechanism of this kind that shall be compact, strong, and reliable.

My invention embraces a combination of a cylindrical case having an interior hub, a rope-sheave mounted thereon, a centrifugal friction governor connected With the sheave, and gearing between the sheave and governor.

In the accompanying drawings, that illustrate my invention, Figure 1 is a view of the case with the cap removed, showing the sheave and gears to drive the governor. Fig. 2 is a vertical central cross-section of the mechanism on the line A A of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view of the case with all the mechanism removed, part of the structure being broken away. Fig. 4 is a view of the governor.

Similar reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

This apparatus, which comprises av case, the mechanism therein contained, and a rope, is to be secured at the top of a window or Because of its moderate size, being less than eight inches in diameter, it will not appear unduly prominent. The cylindrical case 1 has a head 2 at one end thereof and a cap 3 at the other end, which cap may be screwed into or otherwise attached to the case. The case may be hung up or secured by any desired device passing through the loop or eye 4 at the top thereof. A cylindrical hub 5 projects inwardly from the head 2 and is provided with a cross-piece 6, which has holes 7 and 8, which form bearings for the governor-driving gearing.

Mounted on the hub is a rope-sheave 8, which is provided with a ring of interior teeth 9. Pinions 10 mesh with these teeth and have hubs 11, which are mounted in the holes 8. A shaft 12 is mounted in the hole 7 and is provided with a gear 13, that meshes with the pinions 10. On this shaft are Patented Aug. 21, 1906.

mounted four radial arms 14, on which are slidable the weights 15. These blocks have beveled outer edges 16, which when the weights have been thrown out by centrifugal force engage the beveled ring 17 on the cap 3. The rope 18 will be wound around the sheave a number of times, as indicated in Eig. 2, the rope passing into and out of the case through openings 19. Any desired fastening devices now in use may be secured to the ends of the Orope. f

The operation of the mechanism is as follows: When a weight is placed on one end of the rope, the sheave will be revolved on the hub 5, the sheave turning the pinions 10, and thereby the shaft 12, at an increasing speed. Centrifugal force will move the weights 15 outward', causing their beveled edges 16 to bear against the beveled ring 17 of the cap 3. This will force the weights against the side of the sheave 8, and thus force the sheave against the head 2 of the case, The friction between the sheave and the head 2 of the case, be-

tween the sheave and the weights, and between the weights and the ring 17 on the cap will check the speed of the sheave and the rope. This multiplicity of moving surfaces that are subject to friction makes for safety.

I-Iaving now explained my improvements, what I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a fire-escape, the combination of a cylindrical case having a head closing one end of the same, a cap closing the other end of the case and provided with a raised beveled ring, a rope-sheave mounted in said case, a shaft and means to drive the same, and beveled weights carried by said shaft, said weights adapted to engage said sheave and the beveled ring on the cap when forced outward by centrifugal force and to force said sheave against the head of the case.

2. In a fire-escape, the combination of a case having a head, a rope-sheave mounted in said case, a shaft mounted to be revolved by the sheave, radially-slidable weights carried by said shaft adjacent to one side of the sheave and having their outer edges beveled, anda cap adapted to close said case and provided with an inwardly-extendingbeveled ring, the outer edge of said weights adapted when thrown out by centrifugal force to enter the tapering space between the sheave and ring on the cap, engaging both IOC ring andV sheave, thus forcing the sheave speciii'eation in the presence of two'subscribagainst the heai ofthe ieee, the friction bfleing witnesses. tween t eweig ts and t e ring7 between t e weights and the sheave, and between the ARTHUR W' BARTLETT' sheave and the oase being adapted to eon- Witnesses: trol the speed ofthe sheave. EDWARD N. PAGELSEN.

In testimony whereof I have signed this W. BRUCE HUDSON. 

